In the desire to get from one place to another people have sought to travel along roads and highways in a quick and easy manner. To facilitate transportation and commerce along these roads, governments and individuals have used road signs. Typically, these road signs have indicated the direction to take for proceeding to a particular location or in designating how far a certain location is from that particular point. In ancient times markers such as large rocks or distinctive geographic characteristics were used for the aforementioned purposes.
More recently, road signs were attached to posts that were sunk into the ground. To provide a proper road sign that was long lasting and could withstand elements such as ice, wind, and rain, a person would have to dig a deep hole, sink the post into the ground, and then refill the hole with concrete to secure the post therein. With the advent of the automobile and the modern highway large numbers of road signs, lamp posts, and utility poles were required. In order to facilitate this increased demand for signage, posts, and poles, thruster machines were developed to drive anchors into the ground so that appropriate poles could be attached thereto. Further, the use of this anchor-pole system allows the interchangeability of poles and road signs while utilizing the same anchor. While these machines were an improvement over hand digging the anchor holes, it was still found to be very difficult to displace the earth where the anchor was to be set. Furthermore, difficulties arose in that the anchors could not be reliably set so as to provide a level surface on which to erect a road sign, thus creating an unsafe condition. Additionally, deep anchors are required so that the poles may withstand wind, snow, rain, and other hazards.
Accordingly, there is a need in the art for an apparatus or machine that will simultaneously auger a hole and drive an anchor therein, so that appropriate poles for signs or the like can be attached thereto.